Nuzlocked in Johto: Landon's Awakening
by SquiggleSmurf
Summary: The road to the Pokemon League isn't easy, especially with death lurking around every corner and all the creepy people you can run into. But just because it's dangerous doesn't mean it can't be fun. And who knows? It may help you grow in ways you could never imagine. A humorous yet somber journey, Landon will learn how much the road can change someone. Rated T for later chapters.
1. Prologue: A Simple Email

In Summer 2011, I completed my first every Nuzlocke Challenge on Pokemon Gold. Now that I finally have enough time and inspiration, I'm writing my own story based upon it. In case you're unfamiliar with the Nuzlocke Challenge, it's when you play Pokemon with 2 specific rules:

1. If a Pokemon faints, it dies

2. You can only catch the first Pokemon you see per area

Sometimes, people add some more rules to make it harder, but these are the rules I played by, in addition to nicknaming all Pokemon.

Two more things: I plan on having this story be the first of a series of 4 or 5, hence why it's Landon's "first" journey. Also, since I've seen it down before and I like it that way, all Pokemon will speak English. And now, the disclaimer:

_Disclaimer: I don't known Pokemon. I am merely a fan writing some fanfiction. Don't sue me._

* * *

_Prologue: A Simple Email_

From: missingno._is_real at pmail . com  
To: marill_lover at pmail . com

Hey Lyra!

Hope you and Ethan are having an awesome time at the Orange Islands. See any of those pink Pokemon yet? Are you gonna bring me back anything cool?

Anyways, you're not going to believe what happened to me today!

It all started with this weird dream I had the last night. This random old guy appeared to me, talking to me about the world of Pokemon. He demanded that I tell him the time and my name. He told me that my own adventure was about to unfold, and then the world seemed to shrink around me and I whited out. What a creepy old man...

Anyways, I awoke this morning to head over to Professor's Elm lab. Mom said he had some sort of task for me. At first, I was annoyed. I thought it was going to be something stupid like arranging paperwork or observing Pokemon and writing notes. But I didn't really have anything else better to do, so I decided to go see what was up. Best decision ever.

Elms was talking something about a "Mr. Pokemon". I didn't catch all of it because I was too busy thinking about the name "Mr. Pokemon". I mean, who actually has the last name "Pokemon". Did he change his last name to that? Or does his family actually have that name? How did they get that name? Or is that just his nickname? I kept zoning out until Elms gave me exciting news: he'd give me a Pokemon for the task! My first Pokemon ever! No way I'd pass on that opportunity.

I had three choices. You remember them, right? There's Chikorita, Todotile, and Cyndaquil. I know how much you love Chikorita (because it's "SOOOOO CUTE"), but I've never been a fan of grass types. And the Cyndaquil seemed too timid. How can I expect to win battles with a shy little creature? So I was more than happy to pick Todotile, since he was really energetic.

And man, was he excited! He jumped up and down clapping happily. I decided to nickname him "Mizuko".

As Mizuko and I left to go see this "Mr. Pokemon" fellow, I noticed some red-haired kid peering into the window outside of the lab. Weirdo...

After traveling and battling wild Pokemon for awhile, we made it to Mr. Pokemon's house, where he gave me the big discovery: an egg... Woot. But the weirdest part was that the creepy old guy in my dream was there! He said that he heard that I was running an errand for Elms, so he waited for me... O_O He then gave me this strange encyclopedia thing called a Pokedex and ran off... Wow.

On my way back to New Bark Town, that red-headed kid ran into me, looking all angry and panting. That weirdo called me a wimp! And then immediately challenged me to a battle with his Chikorita. His Chikorita didn't know any grass moves, thank Arceus, so Mizuko easily took him down. Who's the wimp now?

He didn't take it so well. The sore loser shoved me, introduced himself as "Damion, the world's soon-to-be greatest trainer", and ran off! What a wuss...

When I got back to the lab, I learned that Damion had actually stolen the Chikorita... What is wrong with that guy? Being moody and stealing things... But enough of that. I haven't even gotten to the best part!

After giving Elms the egg, he noticed how well me and Mizuko had bonded. He introduced me to the idea of taking the Pokemon League Challenge. The Pokemon League Challenge. You know I've only been dreaming about taking the challenge since I was super young. The adventure of journey across Johto, the excitement and thrill of battles, the dream of being the Pokemon League Champion... And it's finally happening!

Of course, my Mom was a little reluctant. I told you that she didn't want me going on a Pokemon journey until I was much older, even though I'm 11 now and am allowed to train Pokemon. But when I told her how well I bonded with Mizuko and how well we've won battles, she finally agreed and is supportive of my decision. She even said that she'll help me save my money!

And so that's that. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving New Bark Town and heading for Violet City to challenge my first gym leader. I'm really sorry that I won't be able to actually say goodbye to you or Ethan, but I really can't wait anymore. My dream is finally coming true! Mizuko's excited, too! Our Pokemon adventure is about to begin!

...I just hope we don't meet anymore of these creepy people...

Anyways, hope you guys are having a fun time! Stay in touch!

-Landon

* * *

_Acquired – Mizuko the Totodile; level 5; New Bark Town_

Also, sorry about how the email addresses look at the beginning at the story. But it was the only way I should post them without them disappearing.


	2. Chapter 1: First Capture

Disclaimer: I only own some Pokemon games, plushies, toys, and this story. I'm not involved with running the company and don't claim to be.

* * *

_Chapter 1: First Capture_

"Goodbye New Bark Town and hello Route 29!" Landon called out as he left his hometown and stepped into the new route. Although it seemed like an ordinary task, stepping into a route he had traveled numerous times before, today was different: he was entering Route 29 for the first time as a Pokemon trainer.

"Yeah! Yeah! Route 29!" the little crocodile Pokemon beside Landon chanted, jumping up and down excitedly.

Landon chuckled in amusement at his Pokemon. "Yup! And for our first order of business, we're going to catch some new Pokemon, Mizuko!"

"New Pokemon?" Mizuko stopped jumping and looked up at his trainer inquisitively. "What? Do you not trust me to be the best Pokemon ever and win all the battles?"

"Well, of course you're awesome, but if we're going to beat all the gym leaders, we're going to need some help. Even Red had a full team of Pokemon; he couldn't only rely on his Charmander."

"Red? Who's Red?"

"Only the best Pokemon trainer ever," Landon explained, his grin getting wider. "3 years ago, he beat all the gym leaders in Kanto, defeated Team Rocket, and became the Pokemon League Champion! He's my idol!"

"Wow, he sounds awesome!" Mizuko exclaimed, jumping up and down again.

"Yup! But he had plenty of Pokemon partners to help him out! So we need to catch more Pokemon as well! And look at it this way: more Pokemon means more friends!"

"YAY!" Mizuko shouted. "Catch more Pokemon! Make more friends!"

The 11-year old trainer laughed again and looked around at Route 29. "Let's see... where's the best place to find and catch a Pokemon?"

"Did someone say 'catching Pokemon'?"

Landon's heart dropped slightly at the voice. 'Oh no. Please don't be...'

A man jumped out in front of Landon and Mizuki. His clothes were torn, he looked like he hadn't shaved in several weeks, his eyes were wide open, and he had a crazed grin on his face. The young trainer grew pale.

"So you want to catch some new Pokemon? Huh? Huh!?" the man asked, creeping up closer to the boy.

Mizuki nodded happily, not phased by the man's maniac appearance. "Yes sir! We want to get more Pokemon friends!"

"Oh! Well, I can show you how to properly catch one," the man said, giggling crazily and creeping even closer to Landon. Landon tried to back up, but he had reached a tree.

"Oh! That would be fantastic!" the water Pokemon exclaimed, failing to notice the growing panic in Landon's face.

"Yes, I'm the best! I know how to catch Pokemon," the man was now mere centimeters away from the young trainer. The crazed man moved to the side of Landon's face, his mouth very close to the boy's ear. He whispered, "I can show you how to really use your balls."

Landon could take no more. Screaming, he pushed the insane man to the ground, grabbed Mizuko, and ran for it. He didn't care where he was going, just as long as he was far from that man and his balls.

"Landon! What are you doing!?" Mizuko called out to Landon from his arms.

But Landon couldn't register any sounds. All he thought was, 'Runrunrunrunrunrun!'

"Landon, that nice man just wanted to show you how to catch Pokemon!"

'Getawaygetawaygetawaygetaway getawaygetawaygetawaygetaway !'

"His advice could have been really helpful!"

'Sprintsprintsprintsprintspri ntsprintsprintsprintsprintsp rintsprintsprint!'

"You've never caught a Pokemon before! He was just trying to help!"

'Fasterfasterfasterfasterfast erfasterfasterfasterfasterfa sterfasterfaster!'

"Landon! Look out for-"

Mizuko never finished his sentence, as Landon hit head-on with a flying object, knocking Landon forcibly to the ground and sending the crocodile flying until he hit a tree.

"Ow…. My head," moaned Mizuko, trying to rub the top of his head with difficulty, due to his little arms.

"Ugh…" Landon groaned, slowly sitting up from the ground. "What was that? What did I hit?"

"Not what did you hit, but who did you hit!" a little voice stated from above Landon.

Still a bit dazed, the boy looked up to see a red, brown, and black bird flying above him. "Wait a minute," Landon thought out loud, "are you a…"

"Huh!? Is that a Pokemon!?" Mizuko called out excitedly, forgetting his throbbing head.

"Yes, I am indeed a Pokemon," the bird said, taking a spot on the ground and bringing his wing to his chest. "A Spearow, to be exact. The name's Sain. I was having a marvelous time flying, until this person came along and rudely crashed into me! What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"

"Umm, umm..." Landon muttered nervously, his eyes racing back and forth, a bit shocked at the Spearow's stern behavior. "I'm sorry?"

"I should hope you would be! Seriously, people just think they can run around in a forest full of Pokemon and not get-

"Whoa!" the trainer suddenly shot up. "Is that a Sentret back there!? Climbing that tree!? I've always wanted a Sentret! I gotta catch it!"

With that, the new trainer ran off to the tree, ignoring Sain and leaving Mizuko behind.

Sain sighed. "Has a bit of a short attention span, doesn't he?"

Mizuko cocked his head to one side. "Huh? What?"

"Oh, never mind. It's no matter. Regardless, I've introduced myself, so who might you be?"

The crocodile Pokemon grinned widely and held out his hand. "I'm Mizuko! Mizuko the Totodile! Me and my trainer Landon are just starting out a Pokemon journey and we're looking to catch new Pokemon."

"Ah, novices!" Sain exclaimed, shaking Mizuko's hand with his wing. "Well, that would explain his excitement in finding that Sentret."

Sain looked behind him to see the boy now climbing up the tree to reach the Sentret. "I'm going to get you!"

"Yeah! We're both super excited to catch new Pokemon, make new friends, and battle all the gym leaders!"

"Well, that's very well," Sain replied, slightly amused at the jumping Todotile. "Positive energy is definitely a must for any journey. Especially one as dangerous as a Pokemon journey."

Mizuko stopped jumping and looked curiously at the Spearow. "Dangerous?"

"Yes, I'm sure you must be aware of the risks and perils associated with battles."

"Well," Mizuko began, bringing a hand up to his chin as he thought, "I know you can get burned and poisoned, and that's really not fun... Sometimes, you can get hurt pretty badly... But there are Pokemon centers and potions and other medicines..."

"Yes, but what of when medicine isn't sufficient? When the damage is overpowering?"

Mizuko was speechless. He looked at Sain with fear in his eyes.

"You really don't know," Sain said softly, a bit of sadness in his voice. He felt bad about scaring the young Pokemon, but he had to know what he was getting himself into. "Come, let me show you something."

The Spearow lead the Totodile a little ways up the trial, stopping at a stick in the ground with a rock by it.

"This is a Pokemon grave," Sain began. He flinched slightly at the sound of Todotile's gasp, but continued. "Pokemon battles can be very dangerous. While most of the time things are under control, there are instances when it's too much. Majority of the time, death occurs with wild Pokemon battles. More uncivilized Pokemon go ram pad and all out. Though, it has been known to occur in trainer or gym battles."

Sain paused for a moment, taking a gander at the crocodile Pokemon. Mizuko seemed to be quite motionless, taking in everything he was hearing and starting intently at the grave. Sain decided to continue.

"I've only witnessed one death myself. A couple years back, a girl was traveling down from Blackthorn City. I believe she had earned all of her badges, and she was making her way to the Pokemon League. She was so close… But there was a massive Graveler stampede. I'm not sure how or why it happened, but Graveler were accelerating down a steep hill, exploding when hitting anything and everything. I was viewing the situation from above, safe from any large explosion in the sky. She, however... She was riding on the back of her Meganium, trying to outrun the danger. But in the end..."

Sain shut his eyes, trying to block out the awful memory.

"The Meganium didn't make it," Mizuko stated, breaking his silence. He meant it to be a statement.

"...I'm not sure what became of her after that. I won't be surprised if she quit all together. It's always quite tragic."

The two Pokemon were silent, continuing to stare at the grave.

After a while, Sain cleared his throat. "I'm not trying to dissuade you from journeying. I merely wanted you to know the risks. And although it doesn't happen too often, there is always the chance. It may be frightening, but in a way, that makes it all the more exciting. Honestly, I've been wanting to go on a Pokemon journey with a trainer myself."

Mizuko torn his eyes away from the grave and looked at Sain with slight confusion.

"There's just something about this type of journey that sounds so epic, so inspiring. With greater danger, the rewards become that much more earned, much more thrilling. Each experience brings us all closer, makes us stronger, helps us to grow and develop. And even if you do go down, you go down as a hero, a fighter. And for me, that's definitely worth it."

Sain looked back at Mizuko, a sense of determination in his eyes. "So what do you say? Want to continue with me as a teammate?"

Mizuko broke into a big grin. "YEAH! Let's do this! Things may be more dangerous than I realized, but it can be done! Others have done it before us and so can we!"

"That's the spirit!" Sain said, relaxed and happy to see the little crocodile Pokemon back to his chirper self. "Now, where's that trainer of yours?"

As if on cue, a loud yell and thud came from where Landon and Sain crashed into each other. The two Pokemon quickly ran back to find Landon face down in the dirt by the tree.

"Ugh..." Landon slightly lifted his head, moaning and a bit dazed. "That Sentret is quite a climber..."

"Landon!" Mizuko excitedly exclaiming, running over to and jumping by Landon. "Guess what? Sain's going to join the team! We have a new Pokemon partner!"

"Oh really?" Landon asked, still dazed. "Well, that's awesome... What's a Sain?"

Sain gave a small grin, watching in amusement as Mizuko excitedly bounced around Landon, oblivious to his trainer's dazed state. 'It will be an interesting adventure, but I'm sure it will be a good one. I just hope we can all handle the risks.'

* * *

_Caught - Sain the Spearow; Level 2; Route 46_


	3. Chapter 2: The Youngster Joey

_Chapter 2: The Youngster Joey_

"Look Landon! There are berries growing from that tree!"

The blue Pokemon ran up excitedly to the tree, jumping to reach the berries.

"Ah, berries," Sain spoke as he and Landon went up to join Mizuko. "Very tasty and sure make a sore Pokemon feel better after some rough battles."

"Yeah, I learned a little bit about them in school. I better take some," Landon said, taking some berries. He gave a few to Sain and Mizuko and put the rest in his bag.

"Mmm! So good, so good!" Mizuko said, eating his delicious treat.

Sain rolled his eyes. "Mizuko, I know these berries are quite delectable, but please do not speak with your mouth full."

Mizuko cocked his head to the side. "Delecta-what?"

The bird Pokemon sighed.

Landon slightly chuckled. After he came out of his daze, he was a little unsure about having the Spearow on the team. While he was very to have another Pokemon, Landon wasn't sure they'd get along too well, due to their bumpy start. But Sain had been very pleasant and friendly so far. Sure, maybe a little too serious sometimes, but still a good Pokemon overall.

"Okay guys," Landon said. "Hurry up and finish your berries. We have places we need to go!" The trainer turned around and checked the path. Cherrygrove City was just in sight, meaning that he could soon stock up on Pokeballs and potions. Wouldn't want to run out or let his Pokemon suffer without healing! Landon went to turn back to his Pokemon when he noticed a man a few meters a head of him. The man was almost completely still, intently staring at the tall grass before him.

'I should just wake away right now and forget about him,' Landon thought, not wanting to deal with another weirdo. But then curiosity got the best of him.

Cautiously, Landon approached the individual. "Hey, ummm, excuse me, but what are you doing?"

The man turned to Landon with a big smile and said, "I'm waiting for Pokemon that only appear at night!" He turned back to the grass, still with a big grin.

Landon raised an eyebrow. "You do realize it's almost noon now, right? Night isn't for, like... another 6 hours..."

"I'm still going to wait!"

Landon was getting more baffled by the second. "But aren't you going to get bored? Just standing there?"

"Night Pokemon!"

"Okay," Landon said, his eyes getting wide in surprise at the man's stupidity. "Guess you must really want a night-time Pokemon."

"Nope!" the man responded, still with that big grin. "Once nighttime arrives, I'll be waiting for Pokemon that only appear at day!"

That was enough for Landon. "Okay guys! We're leaving! Now!"

"Aw, but I want more ber-" Mizuko was cut off by Landon quickly picking him up, as well as grabbing Sain, making his way to Cherrygrove City.

'Hopefully, there won't be a creepy person in town.'

* * *

"I still can't believe there was a creepy person in town!" Landon whined, as he and his Pokemon exited Cherrygrove City.

"This again, Landon? Really?" Sain sighed. After immediately arriving in town, Landon was greeted by Guide Gent, who proceeded to show him around. However, the forward behavior by the older man proved too much for Landon to bear, and Landon had been complaining about him the entire time as they stayed in the city, gathering supplies and eating lunch. "Come now; that old man wasn't too bad."

"He grabbed me out of nowhere and forced me around... He pulled my arm so hard that I thought it was going to come out of its socket..."

"He was just trying to be helpful, Landon."

"Plus, he gave us that awesome map app on your PokeGear!" Mizuko added. "Ooo! Map app! That rhymed!"

"Yeah, I guess," Landon begrudgingly agreed, checking out his new map. "And at least we got all the supplies we needed. But I'm sick of dealing with all these creepy people."

"It's part of the journey, dear boy," Sain reasoned, patting the boy on his back. "Now, let's be on our way, shall we?"

"Yeah... get me as far away from Guide Gent as possible, before he wants to guide me somewhere else."

The three began to travel down the dirt path of Route 30, leaving the suburban city behind and entering the wooded trail. They traveled in silence for awhile, until Mizuko perked up to ask a question.

"So... how long do you think it will take us to get to Violet City?" Mizuko's voice was a little lower than usually and sounded a bit shaky, but Landon didn't notice.

"Let's see... I think if we keep up a good pace, we should be able to make it by late afternoon, at the latest."

Mizuko bit his lower lip. "...are we going to immediately challenge the gym when we get there?"

Landon laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Mizuko!" (The crocodile Pokemon gave a small sigh of relief) "I know you're eager, I'm eager too, but we'll all definitely need a good rest before taking on the gym leader. But once we're rested, we'll engage in our first gym battle! It's gonna be awesome!"

"Yay! Awesome!" Mizuko jumped up and down in his usual manner, with his trainer smiling in amusement.

"Hmmm." The sharp Spearow had noticed the Totodile's unusual behavior before and was a bit concerned. However, before he had a chance to ask, a unknown male voice sounded.

"You're gonna take on the gym leader? Ha! Don't make me laugh!"

The trainer and his two Pokemon stopped and looked around, perplexed at where the voice had come from.

"I'm over here, you idiots!"

The three looked forward in the direction of the voice, to see a young boy, about Landon's age, wearing a yellow short, blue shorts, and a blue baseball cap on backwards. Landon narrowed his eyes in anger. "Hey, who are you calling idiots?"

The other boy smirked. "You gotta another thing coming before you think you can handle the gym leader! My Rattata could easily beat your Pokemon up!"

"Is that challenge, you little shrimp!?"

"You betcha! I'll send you home crying!"

"Oh, we'll see about that!" Landon retorted back and turned to Mizuko. "You did an awesome job against Damion's Chikorita. Think you can handle another trainer's Pokemon?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Mizuko answered, pumping himself up.

"Alright then! Mizuko! I choose you!"

"Let's show this punk! Go! Rattata!"

The youngster threw his Pokeball forward, which revealed a purple rat inside. The rat Pokemon showed off his teeth and gave out his meanest Pokemon cry. Mizuko jumped forward and responded with a cry of his own.

"Mizuko! Let's start this battle off with a Water Gun!" Landon commanded.

Mizuko aimed at the Rattata and burst forth water out of his mouth. However, the little rat was quick and jumped into the air to dodge.

"Great work Rattata! Now Quick Attack!"

Rattata seemed to disappear from sight, only to appear right in front of Mizuko. Before Mizuko realized it, the purple Pokemon tackled him to the ground. Although hurt, the blue crocodile wasn't going to back down and landed a Scratch right on Rattata's face.

"Nice work, Mizuko!" Landon cheered.

"Grrr..." The youngster was getting annoyed. "That Totodile can't land hits if it can't see. Use Sand Attack, Rattata!"

"Mizuko, counter with Water Gun!"

The sand proved no match for the Totodile's water. Water Gun over-powered the sand and covered the Rattata, now dripping in muddy water.

"No! Rattata! Shake it off!" The youngster pleaded with his Pokemon, but the mud was sticking on pretty thick.

"Now, he can't move so quick," Landon stated, mostly to himself. "Alright, Mizuko! Let's finish this off! Scratch that little mouse!"

Mizuko landed Scratch after Scratch on the Rattata. The Rattata tried to dodge and get away, but the mud had covered his eyes and he could barely see. Finally, Mizuko landed one final Scratch, sending the Rattata tumbling back to his trainer, fainted.

"Yes! Victory! You were awesome, Mizuko!"

"Quite an excellent job indeed, Mizuko!"

"Yeah!"

Landon, Mizuko, and Sain celebrated as the youngster looked crestfallen at his fainted Pokemon. "But... you're in the top 10 percent, Rattata... the top 10 percent. I know you tried your hardest, so you deserve a good rest. Return."

The boy returned his Rattata to his Pokeball, and then looked up at the celebrating trainer and Pokemon. His sadness turned to anger as he marched right up to them.

"Hey! Don't get so cocky! You just got lucky!"

"Lucky?" Landon raised an eyebrow and scoffed at the other boy. "Please! My Totodile gots some mad skills! Your Rattata just can't keep up!"

"Hey! Don't talk that way about my Rattata! He's different from other Rattatas. He's in the top 10 percent of all Rattata!"

Landon laughed and nudged Mizuko. "He must mean the top 10 percent of all loser Rattata! Am I right, Mizuko?"

Landon and Mizuko laughed harder as the youngster got red in anger. Sain looked at Landon, absolutely unimpressed. "Landon! That's not a nice thing to say about someone's Pokemon!"

"But it's true! His stupid Rattata was no match for my awesome Totodile!"

"THAT'S IT!" the youngster screamed, shooting bullets at Landon through his eyes. "Nobody talks about my Rattata that way! I demand a rematch!"

Now Sain looked at the youngster, absolutely unimpressed. "Your Pokemon needs rest! You can't just send it out into another battle like that!"

"I don't mean now! I mean, in the future! When my Rattata's ready! You have a PokeGear, don't you? Let's register numbers!"

"Okay, I'll take you up on that," Landon smirked, walking up to the youngster. "I'd totally love to beat your Rattata any day. Let's exchange numbers!"

The two boys held their PokeGears side by side. The PokeGears recognized each other, and immediately began downloading the other's number. In a matter of seconds, the devices each gave a *beep*, signifying the success of the exchange. The boys then took a look at their PokeGears.

"Ah, so Joey's your name," Landon thought out loud, his PokeGear having successfully registered the youngster's name as well as his number. "Well Joey, call me anytime! I'd be more than happy to beat down your Rattata!"

"I'll make you eat your words, Landon!" Joey retorted back. "Just wait and see! Next time will be different!"

With that, Youngster Joey ran off, heading to the Pokemon center in Cherrygrove.

Sain shook his head. "Such an odd young boy. What makes him think that his Rattata is in the top 10 percent?"

"Whatever!" Landon said, rolling his eyes. "He's just super egoistical about his Pokemon! All talk and no walk! Not like Mizuko here, the most awesome Totodile ever!"

Mizuko gave a super wide grin and danced around a little. But Sain still had one little concern. "Do you really think it was a good idea to give him your phone number?"

Landon shrugged. "I don't see why not? I mean, if he calls and he wants to battle, I'll just whoop his butt again. No problems, right?"

"I suppose so..."

"Alright then! Let's get a move on! That battle with Joey left me anxious for more! Let's explore this route and battle all the trainers we can find!"

* * *

"Grrr... stupid Totodile and his stupid trainer..." Joey muttered to himself, while waiting for his Rattata to heal at the Pokemon Center. 'Why didn't they believe me when I said my Rattata's in the top 10 percent?'

Joey looked at his PokeGear and his newly registered number. He could now call this Landon guy whenever he wanted to. Just then, an idea just came across his mind. The youngster smirked.

'Maybe the more I tell him about my super cool Rattata, the more he'll believe me.


	4. Chapter 3: Dark Cave

_Chapter 3: Dark Cave_

"Alright, Sain! Now finish off his Caterpie with Peck!"

"No! Caterpie!"

"Yes! We won again!"

Landon gave Sain a high-five (or high-wing?) as the bug catcher returned his fainted Caterpie and approached the trainer.

"Hey, excellent battle, man," the bug catcher complimented. "You're Spearow is pretty tough!"

"I know, right? Sain's definitely the toughest Spearow around! But what can you expect from one of my Pokemon?"

"Yes," Sain began, slightly annoyed at Landon's boasting and turned his attention to the bug catcher. "But your Caterpie also put up a great battle. He's quite a hardy character!"

"Yeah," Landon said a bit sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "If by 'hardy' you mean a weak lit-oof!"

Sain cut the young trainer off with a jab of his beak in Landon's ribs and a sharp glare in his eyes. The bird Pokemon then turned his attention back to the bug catcher. "As I was saying, I'm sure your Caterpie will make a fierce Butterfree one day."

The bug catcher's face lit up. "Ah, really? Thanks! Well, it was fun battling! Good luck at the Violet City gym!"

Landon waved goodbye and turned to continue on the path to Violet City, Sain following closely behind. As they traveled, the trainer beamed to himself, very pleased that they were nearing the City and that he and his Pokemon had won every encounter with a trainer thus far. He couldn't wait for his awesome Pokemon to battle against the Gym Leader! Sain, on the other hand, felt a bit perturbed.

"You know, Landon," Sain began in a serious voice, "modesty is a virtue."

"Huh?" Landon gave Sain a confused look. "What are you talking about? Where is this coming from?"

"The aftermath of the battle with that Bug Catcher; you were a bit conceited and rude."

"But Sain, you were awesome back there! I just wanted to congratulate for a job well done!"

"But you didn't need to be so boastful about it," stated Sain, firmly. "In addition, you shouldn't be insulting one's Pokemon."

The young trainer gave a heavy sigh. "But it was a weak, little, stup-ouch! Why did you do that again!?"

Landon rubbed his ribs after having them be jabbed for a second time by Sain. Sain gave Landon a very stern look. "That is very disrespectful to say of someone else's Pokemon. Every and any Pokemon can grow stronger with proper training, and it's not your place to say whether one is weak or strong!"

"Whatever…" Landon muttered, rolling his eyes and continuing down the path.

"Hey, don't "whatever" me, mister!"

The trainer was just about feed up with his Pokemon's nagging. "Gee, Sain. You did really well back there, but you could you a good rest," Landon said, a devilish grin appearing on his face."

"Landon, don't you dare! I'm not done yet!"

"Come on, Sain. Back in the Pokeball! Return!"

"Landon! You lit-"

But before Sain could complete his sentence, his Pokeball sucked him right back inside. Satisfied, Landon clipped Sain's Pokeball back on his belt, right next to Mizuko's, and continued the path to Violet City.

'Glad that's over with. He was sounding way too much like my mom.'

* * *

"Ah, finally! Made it to the clearing!"

Landon happily stepped out of the forested path and entered the open area, containing plush grass and a small pond. They weren't far from Violet City now! Seeing this place as a good spot to take a short break, Landon unclipped Mizuko's and Sain's Pokeballs.

Despite some beliefs, Pokeballs weren't cramped prisons for Pokemon. Though small, Pokeballs offered maximum comfort for Pokemon, temporarily converting the Pokemon's body into energy to allow for an easy fit. While inside, Pokemon could relax and recharge, letting their imagination take flight and think up the most wonderful things. In some ways, being a Pokeball was better than being outside. However, a Pokeball can't provide everything, like food, companionship, or exercise, so Landon saw this place as an excellent opportunity for his Pokemon to stretch out.

"Come on out you guys!

Landon threw his Pokeballs up in the air, the Pokeballs responding by opening and releasing red energy. The energy transformed, took the shape of a crocodile and a bird, and then converted to reveal an excited Mizuko and a peeved Sain.

"Yay! Fresh air!" Mizuko jumped around a little, happy to get some exercise. "I'm going to go explore!"

Landon laughed as his starter Pokemon ran to the pond. He then turned his attention to Sain, who appeared to be glaring at him. Landon gave his Pokemon a quizzical look. "What?"

Sain did not answer and continued to glare.

"What? Are you still mad about earlier?"

"…"

"Dude, come on! That was like… 30 minutes ago!"

"…"

"Ugh!" Landon groaned, dropping his head in exasperation. "Really, Sain?"

"…"

Landon looked up to see that the Spearow hadn't dropped his gaze, still glaring at his trainer with shiny bullets. Landon signed and let up. "Okay, I'm sorry that I cut you off and put you back in your Pokeball. And I'm sorry that I called that trainer's Caterpie weak."

Sain gave a heavy sigh and let down his sharp gaze. He wasn't sure how sincere Landon was being, but for now, he'd take it. "Okay Landon, apology accepted. But can you try to be more modest in the future?"

"But I don't get why. You and Mizuko are awesome Pokemon; why should I be quiet about that?"

"Landon, no one likes a trainer who boasts a lot. In addition, that over confidence could really-"

"Oo! Guys! Look a cave!" Mizuko called, interrupting Sain.

Landon allowed himself to be distracted by his water Pokemon and ran over to Mizuko, leaving Sain behind.

"…cost you one day," Sain finished, lowering his eyelids. 'That kid has an attention span of a Pichu.'

"Wow, Landon!" Mizuko exclaimed as Landon came up to stand next to him, the little Pokemon's eyes marveling at the large cave before him. "A real cave! I wonder what's inside."

Mizuko squinted to see if he could make out anything visible, but he had no luck.

"Yeah, I've noticed this cave many times before, but I've never checked it out," Landon stated, bringing a finger up to his chin as he thought. "Let's see… what was it called again? It was something stupid and obvious…"

"Are planning on checking out Dark Cave, young boy?" a voice sounded from behind the pair.

Landon snapped his fingers. "Dark Cave! That was it!" The trainer turned around to see an older man walking up towards him. Though the man appeared normal, the trainer braced himself in case of emergency. "W-why do ask, sir?"

"Well, I don't know how familiar you are with Dark Cave," the man began, "but it's always pitch back in there. You need Flash if you want to see anything."

"Flash?" Mizuko questioned.

"Yeah, it's a Pokemon move" the man explained. "Brights up the darkest of dungeons with a simple spark of light. However, the move can only be learned through a Hidden Machine."

"Hidden Machine?" Sain asked, having flown over to the group mere seconds ago and curious about this new term he had never heard before.

Landon nodded, thinking back to what he learned in Trainer School. "Yeah, Hidden Machines, or just simply HM's. They contain moves that no Pokemon can learn naturally. HM's were created in order for people to explore places they couldn't normally get to. They didn't have the ability on their own, so they looked to Pokemon for help."

"Ah, fascinating!"

"Yup," the older man agreed. "So if you want to explore that cave, you need to find the HM for Flash first and teach that to a Pokemon."

"Hmmm, but who knows how long that could take, finding the HM…" said Landon, mostly to himself. Now more at ease around the man, he asked, "So, are there any Pokemon in this cave?"

"Of course!" the man stated. "Pokemon lurk everywhere in caves. Mainly lots of Zubat, some Geodudes and Dunsparce, but you might find a Teddiursa, if you're lucky."

"So there could be a new team player waiting in this cave for us…"

"Landon, what are thinking about?" Sain questioned, not liking where Landon was going with his train of thought.

"What do you say, Mizuko?" Landon turned to his starter Pokemon. "It might be a long time before we find that HM. Wanna take our chances and explore this dark cave to get a new Pokemon partner?"

"Yeah!" Mizuko exclaimed, jumping up. "Let's do it!"

Sain face-winged. "…are you kidding me?"

"Wait, don't do it!" the man warned. "It could be dangerous! You can't see-"

"Danger, smanger!" Landon interrupted, waving his hand at the man. "I was born for danger! Let's go, Mizuko!"

Before the man or Sain could say anything else, Landon and Mizuko rushed into the cave, high on the idea of a new Pokemon friend. The two outside stared blankly at the cave, dumbfounded by what just happened. Finally, the man broke the silence.

"Your friends are idiots."

"Yes. But they're my idiots."

* * *

"Hey Mizuko? Have you found anything? Any Pokemon?" Landon called out, taking careful steps since he couldn't even see his feet.

"None yet!" Mizuko answered from behind his trainer.

"Well, keep looking! There's got to be something! Man, I'm so excited!"

The two continued to explore the cave. It was quite a difficult task, as the cave definitely lived up to its name. But Landon wasn't going to give up until he found a new Pokemon. He proceeded again cautiously and thoroughly, avoiding any nasty falls he could take or missing any wild Pokemon. However, he became so intent on his task that he forget something rather important.

"Landon!"

"Huh?" Landon perked up, trying to locate the sound of his Pokemon. "Mizuko? What is it?"

"Landon! Where are you? I can't find you!" Mizuko cried out, a bit of panic in his voice.

"Mizuko, it's okay! I'm over here! Where are you?"

"Where's over here? I'm right here!"

"Ummm… ummm…," Landon squinted as hard as he could in attempt to see anything in this cave, but it was fruitless.

"Landon!" Mizuko cried out again. "I'm getting scared! This cave is really dark!"

"Stay strong, Mizuko! Just keep talking! I'll follow the sound of your voice!"

"Okay, Landon. I'm right here. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah! I think I know where you're coming from! Just keep talking!"

Mizuko continued to cry out to his trainer, as Landon continued to take careful footsteps in the direction of his Pokemon's voice.

"Hurry, Landon! What if there are ghosts?"

"Mizuko, don't be ridiculous!" Landon said, almost laughing at the expense of his Pokemon. "There aren't any ghost Pokemon in this cave. That man didn't mention any."

"Just get me out of here!"

"Okay, okay," Landon stated, taking a few steps forward. He should be pretty close now. Mizuko sounded significantly louder! Just a few more steps and…

"LANDON!"

"AH!" the shock of hearing the Totodile scream caused Landon to rush forward and trip over a large rock. He landed on the ground with a big *thud*.

"Ugh…" the boy slowly raised his head. "Why do I keep running into things?" After pulling himself into a seated position on the ground, he felt a scaly creature jump into his chest.

"Landon!" Mizuko called out happily, hugging Landon as much as his little arms could allow. "I thought that was you! I was so excited, I screamed! Sorry if I scared you, but I'm so glad to see you again!"

"Eh, it's alright, Mizuko," Landon said, hugging Mizuko back and relieved to see that he was okay. "Just tripped over a large rock. But let's go back now, shall we?"

But before Mizuko could respond, a rough groan was heard from behind Landon. The two instantly tensed up.

"Who disturb Bron's sleep?" the rough voice demanded.

That was too much for the crocodile Pokemon to take.

"OHMYGODAGHOST!" Mizuko screamed and fled out of Landon's arms.

"No! Mizuko!" Landon called out, trying to grab back his frightened Pokemon. "Get back here you'll crash into something!"

"Oh, it was you who disturb Bron?" the rough voice sounded again. "Now, Bron will disturb you!"

Landon gulped. Running seemed like a really good idea now. "Wait for me, Mizuko!"

As one can imagine, running in the pitch black is not an easy task, especially when there are many uneven surfaces and rough rocks to trip and crash into. This was quite evident as Mizuko kept running to the walls of the cave and Landon kept losing his footing. Finally, at one point, Landon managed to catch Mizuko, after the little Pokemon had jumped up in attempt to avoid the bumpy ground. However, Landon had caught the Pokemon with his arms way out in front of him, one foot on the ground, and the other in the air behind him. Therefore, he wasn't very balanced. This wouldn't have been a problem if something else hadn't crashed into his back. As they were on an incline going down, the resounding crash caused Landon and Mizuko to go rolling down at fast velocity.

* * *

"They've been in there for quite a while, don't you think?" Sain asked the man, sounding a little nervous.

"Yeah, it would seem so."

The Spearow began rapidly tapping one of his talons against the ground, eyes getting wider as he stared at the cave.

"Hey, don't get too worried now," the man tried to console the little bird Pokemon. "Sure, they're idiots for going into Dark Cave with Flash and they could hurt themselves stumbling around, but the wild Pokemon aren't really fierce. I'm sure those two will come rolling out at any moment."

And as if on cue, a mesh of human, Pokemon, rock, and dirt rolled rapidly out of the cave, like a Katamari ball. And like a Katamari ball, it gathered the man and Sain, rolling until it hit a tree and slammed the components of the ball flat on the ground.

"Ouch," Sain moaned, rubbing his beak with wing, slowing sitting up from the ground.

Landon lifted his head up a bit, only to put it immediately back down. "Ugh, I feel so dizzy…"

"And I thought I'd be safe if I stayed outside the cave," the older man complained, reaching his hand back to feel his now sore back.

"Again, again, let's do it again!" said Mizuko, in a slight daze.

"Ah! Bright! Bright! Why so bright?"

The sound of a new voice perked the four out of their misery. Curious, they looked at the base of the tree they crashed into to find the source of the voice: a large rock with two arms, said arms covering his body.

"The ghost?"

"No, Mizuko," Landon answered, now a bit excited. "That's not a ghost; that's a Geodude!"

"No!" the Geodude said firmly, putting his arms down and looking right in Landon's eyes. "I am not Geodude! I am Bron! And you disturb Bron's sleep! You must pay!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Landon exclaimed, putting up his hands in surrender. "First, sorry about the name confusion. Second, I'm sorry about disturbing you, but it was an accident. I couldn't see anything in there."

The older man scoffed. "I told you it wasn't smart going into Dark Cave without Flash."

"Aw, shut up!" Landon snapped at the man, and then turned his attention back to Bron. "Bron, you need to understand that I never meant you harm. It was a mistake. It's very dark in the cave."

"Hmmm," the Geodude closed his eyes for a few moments, shaking a little. He appeared to be thinking. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked back at Landon. "Bron understands. Cave very dark, but Bron is used to it. Perhaps you aren't. If you live in this bright."

Squinting, Bron looked up at the Sun, seemingly amazed that something could be so bright. Sain brought a wing to his beak in a thinking manner. "Bron, have you never been outside of the cave?"

"Bron has always lived in cave. No light, expect for flashes from trained Pokemon. Always dark. This light up above… what is it?"

"Ah, that would be the Sun!" Sain explained. "Provides brightness and warmth during the day!"

"Bron understands," the Geodude said, taking a moment to appreciate the warmth of the Sun basking down on him. "Bron likes it!"

"Yay!" Mizuko exclaimed, deciding to celebrate Bron's revelation. "Bron likes the Sun!"

Bron took a few more moments to appreciate the outdoors, but then his face into a sadden frown. "Bron doesn't want to return to cave. Bron wants to stay here."

"Well, who says you have to return?" Landon asked.

"But Bron has no other place. Cave is home."

"Then maybe you should fine a new home," Landon said, grinning and motioning to Mizuko and Sain. "I'm a Pokemon trainer on my way to become the Pokemon League Champion. But I'm going to need a solid team of Pokemon to help me. What do you say, Bron? Join us? We could a great fighter, and you'll get to explore more of the brightness."

Bron looked at Landon. Then at Mizuko. Then at Sain. Then at the Sun. Then back at Mizuko. Then Sain. Then Landon. Then the Sun. Then back at Landon. Then at Sain. Then at the older man who was felt very out of place. And then, finally, back at Landon, with a big grin.

"Bron accepts," he answered proudly, which was followed by a resounding cheer from the Totodile. "You show Bron world outside of cave, and Bron will be strong fighter."

"Awesome!" Landon exclaimed, fist-pumping the air in excitement. "Now, I have three wicked-awesome Pokemon! We're going to be the best team ever!"

Mizuko jumped up and down in his usual manner. "Yeah! Best team ever!"

"Best team ever! Best team ever!" Bron chanted.

The trainer, Totodile, and Geodude continued to celebrate, as Sain and the older man looked on.

The man simply shook his head. "Well, this whole ordeal has been rather odd."

"Yes," Sain agreed, "but at least it's not boring."

"I suppose. But you do realize that you're dealing with a bunch of idiots on your team."

"Oh, I'm aware."

With that, the older man finally took this moment to walk away, leaving the Spearow staring at the rest of his team engaged in silly cheering. Sain merely smiled.

'My idiots.'

* * *

_Caught – Bron the Geodude; level 2; Dark Cave_


	5. Chapter 4: Arrival to Violet City

I realized I made a big mistake… I forgot to describe what my main character looks like! My apologies. I have also posted this story in the Nuzlocke Forums, and there, I posted a link to a picture of Landon. I guess I just couldn't find a place to describe Landon and/or I entirely forget. Well, better late than never, right?

Landon has blue eyes and black hair in the same style as the original male protagonist from Pokemon Gold/Silver/HeartGold/SoulSilver. He also wears a similar hat, except it is red in the middle instead of yellow. He wears a black T-shirt with a black and yellow vest jacket on top. His shoes are also black and yellow, and he has red shorts with a large black line on either side. Finally, he wears black open finger gloves, with white on the cuffs and red on the back of the glove.

If you want to see the picture, the link here's:

s1297 . beta . photobucket user/annacostello/media/Pokemon%20Nuzlocke/landonandmizuko_zps67f65be0 . jpg . html

Just remove the spaces.

Note: I created this picture using Pokemon Creator by Hapuriainen.

Also, for reference in this chapter:

Onigiri = rice ball

Umeboshi = pickled plum

Tsukemono = chopped up pickles

Disclaimer: All of I own of Pokemon are some games and toys. I am not involved with the company and am just writing this story for fun.

* * *

Chapter 4: Arrival to Violet City

"Finally! Guys, welcome to Violet City!"

Landon and his Pokemon took their first steps into their desired destination. Violet City was a bit small for a city, though it was bigger than Cherrygrove. Numerous light purple, rustic buildings filled the town, giving a feel of a tranquility and tradition. The late afternoon sun shined against the trees surrounding the city, reflecting beautiful colors of red, orange, and yellow. Overall, it was rather quiet, though people moved about the city.

Landon grinned. "I've been here so many times before, but this will be my first time going to the Pokemon gym! I can't wait!"

"But I thought we were going to wait to challenge the gym until tomorrow!" Mizuko called out a bit frantically. "Besides, I'm getting really hungry."

"No, that's still the plan, Mizuko," the trainer replied, Mizuko giving a slight sigh of relief. "I'm just really looking forward to go to gym! Anyways, we should probably get some dinner. I know of a really good onigiri stand nearby the Trainer's School. Let's go!"

With Landon leading the way, the group traveled further into the city. After passing through a road lined with numerous houses, they came to a more open area. This area held a large school, several small food stands, and a small park area with a few picnic tables. Landon approached one of the food stands, ordered some onigiri, and claimed one of the tables for himself and his Pokemon.

Looking through the different onigiri, he said, "Okay, I got different kinds here… Mizuko, I'm guessing you'd like this one with salted Magikarp? And Sain? Would you be interested in an umeboshi onigiri?"

Mizuko gave excited chatter, and Sain responded with a firm nod. Their trainer then tossed their respective onigiri over to the Pokemon, the Totodile jumping up and catching the Magikarp onigiri in his mouth and the Spearow grabbing his umeboshi onigiri in his beak and gently flying back down to eat it on the table. Then, Landon turned to Bron.

"So what you would like?" Landon asked his newest Pokemon. "Not really sure what Geodudes like…"

"It okay," Bron responded in his gruff voice. "Bron eat ground. Eat all the time in cave."

"Okay then…" Landon answered, his eyes getting a bit wide in astonishment as Bron proceeded to dig up some dirt and eat it. "Well, whatever works." The trainer then chose a tsukemono onigiri for himself and began to eat. After a few moments of eating, Sain decided to break the silence.

"So Landon," the Spearow began, now almost 1/4th done with his onigiri, "you've been to Violet City before?"

Landon nodded, chewing and swallowing a chuck of tsukemono. "Yeah, I used to go here for Trainer's School, from when I was five until I turned ten."

"School? What did you do there?" Mizuko asked, finishing the last bite of his onigiri.

"Learned stuff," Landon replied, licking his fingers and reaching for a second onigiri. "There were boring things, like math and history. But they also taught us plenty of things about Pokemon. That was really awesome! It's where I learned all about Pokemon training, types, moves, battle conditions, everything!"

"Hmmm, interesting," Sain thought out loud. "A place where they prep young child to be Pokemon trainers…"

Landon nodded and responded, "Yeah, it's basically required that you have 5 years of Trainer's School before becoming a Pokemon trainer."

Mizuko took a large bite of his second onigiri and then asked, "So you had to make this long journey all the time when you went to school?"

"Well, not exactly. I was driven there and back, along with my friends Lyra and Ethan. And taking a car is a lot quicker than walking."

"Huh?" The Totodile cocked his head to one side. "You never mentioned those guys before."

"I had no reason to before," Landon answered, popping in the last bit of his second onigiri and taking out his Pokegear. He messed with it a bit and then showed it to Sain and Totodile.

On the screen was a picture of Landon with two other kids, whom were all happily grinning. Landon was on the left, giving the peace sign with his right hand and his left arm around the shoulders of a girl. The girl was wearing a large white hat, blue overall shorts, and a red shirt. She had brunette hair that was in pigtails, hazel eyes, and her arms were around the waists of Landon and another boy to the right. This boy had short blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing a red hoodie and black shorts and was giving a 'thumbs up' at the camera.

"The girl is Lyra," Landon explained, pointing to the girl in the center. He then moved his finger to the boy on the right. "And that's Ethan. We've been friends since we were very young, as we've grown up together in New Bark Town. I would of introduced them, but they're on vacation right now."

"Cool!" Mizuko exclaimed, taking interest in Landon's best friends. "Are they Pokemon trainers, too?"

"Not yet, though Lyra does have a pet Marill," the young trainer responded, starting his third onigiri. "I'm the only one so far who has actually started the journey. Though, there was…" Landon's speech drifted and he looked down towards the ground where Bron was eating dirt. After a few moments, the Geodude felt eyes staring at him and turned to look at his trainer, who seemed a bit lost in thought with his eyes slightly glazed over.

"Landon, what wrong?" Bron asked, sensing distress in Landon.

"Huh? What?" Landon snapped out of his trance and looked back at the concerned Geodude. "Oh, sorry. Must have gotten distracted. Anyways, yeah. Lyra and Ethan haven't started a Pokemon journey yet."

Sain and Mizuko stared at each other for moment, silent understanding between them. Mutually deciding not to press the issue, Sain continued eating his first onigiri (now half-way done) and Mizuko continuing with his third, now almost gone.

Meanwhile, Bron finished another fistful of dirt before asking Landon, "Trainer! What about gym?"

"Right! The Violet City gym!" Landon exclaimed, his eyes getting wider in excitement. "From what I understand, the leader uses flying-type Pokemon, which means you'll be the star, Bron!"

Bron beamed. "Yes! Bron will pound flying-types!"

Landon chuckled, finished his third onigiri, and turned to his other two Pokemon. "Of course, I'll be depending on you two for back-up."

Sain gave a salute. "You can count on me, Landon!"

Mizuko merely smiled, griping his fourth onigiri a bit tighter.

Getting more pumped, Landon jumped out of his seat and fist-pumped the air. "Alright! Tomorrow, we're going to take on the gym and get our first badge! It's gonna be awesome!"

Landon continued throwing punches in the air as Bron jumped around him in spirit. Mizuko quickly chowed down his fourth onigiri and looked down, his eyes drooping. Sain looked up from his onigiri and regarded the Totodile with slight concern. He was about to speak, when a singing voice rang across the open area.

"Did somebody say 'Gym battle'?"

Landon's stomach dropped. 'Oh no…' The trainer looked ahead of him to see a chubby man with a wide grin skip over to him. Once the man had reached the boy, he spun around a few times on his foot and then looked straight at Landon, his face very close to Landon's.

"Trainer, are you!?" The man exclaimed in the same sing-song voice.

Landon began to sweat a bit, nerved by the man's close proximity to him. "Uh… uh… yes?"

"Ah! Very good! Very good!" the man spun around a few times again. "Challenge the gym, did you? Win, did you!?"

"Well," Landon began, his voice a soft as he tried to back away from the man, "to answer your first question, no, so-"

The chubby man gave an exaggerated gasp, leaning back and bringing his hands to the mouth, looking very shocked. "Win, did you not!?"

"N-no! That's not what I mea-"

"Help, you need! Help, I shall!"

"N-no! That's really not nec-AH!"

Before Landon could finish, the chubby man grabbed Landon's hands and spun them both around. Then, still grasping one of Landon's hands, the man pranced in the direction of the Trainer's School. The poor trainer, not prepared for prancing, ended up being dragged behind the man, rising and falling each time the chubby guy pranced. Finally, they reached the front doors of the school. After spinning them both around for a final time, the chubby man said, "Trainer School, this is! Teacher, I am! You learn, here!"

With that, the teacher abruptly went inside the school, leaving Landon outside in shook. The trainer stared at the front doors of the school for a few moments, taking in what had happened. Finally, the 11-year-old took a deep breath and…

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Arms flailing, Landon ran away from the school, going past the picnic tables where his Pokemon still were and across a bridge. As Landon raced out of seeing distance, Mizuko perked up.

"Landon! Wait! You forget your bag!" the Totodile called out, jumping down to reach Landon's backpack, which he had left on the ground by the table.

"Trainer Landon!" Bron called out afterwards, now jumping his way towards the bridge. "Do not leave Pokemon behind! We come!"

Sain merely shook his head. "Oh Landon, when are you going to calm down?"

"Come on, Sain!" Mizuko said, putting on Landon's backpack. "We need to go after him!"

"Aw, what a pity," the Spearow replied, looking down at his 3/4th finished onigiri. "I didn't even finish my meal."

"Wow, Sain. You sure eat slow."

"It's called 'savoring', my dear Mizuko. It astonishes me that you could even taste your onigiri. From the way you were consuming, you perhaps could have been eating cardboard and would fail to notice the difference."

"Mizuko! Sain!" Bron called out from the bridge. "Come! We must find Landon!"

Sain sighed. He took one last look at his unfinished onigiri and readied his wings. "Alright, so be it. Let's go find our young trainer."

* * *

"Creepy guys… creepy guys everywhere…"

Poor Landon was muttering to himself while he griped a lamppost, his eyes wide in fright. This was the 4th creepy guy he had met on his journey, and this was only his first day! How many more were out there…

"Landon!"

The young trainer turned around slowly to see his three Pokemon running towards him (except for Sain who was flying towards him). Relaxing a bit to see familiar, uncreepy faces, Landon let go off the lamppost and straightened up. After the three Pokemon reached their trainer, Mizuko shrugged off the backpack and handed it to Landon.

"Here Landon," Mizuko said. "You forgot this in your panicking."

"Thanks Mizuko…" the trainer muttered, reaching down to pick up the backpack.

Sain perched himself on Landon's shoulder. "You know, you didn't have to be so dramatic. He was a teacher, right? Didn't he teach you?"

"No, I have never seen that guy in my life," Landon answered, looking a bit pale. "Maybe he's a new teacher… Glad I never had him…"

"Regardless, you can't be freaking out like this all the time."

"But these men… they're just so… strange…"

Sain patted the back of Landon's head. "Welcome to the real world, kid."

"What's this? In front?" Bron asked in his gruff voice.

Landon and Sain looked up to see what the Geodude was referring to. There, in front of them, was a large pagoda, towering above them from many stories up.

"Ah, this is the Sprout Tower," Landon answered. "It's a large building with a shaky pillar inside."

"A moving pillar?" Sain questioned. "Why would they build a pagoda with a swaying pillar?"

"I don't know. Something about being similar to Bellsprout? We took a visit here once for school, but I wasn't really paying attention…"

Sain facewinged. His trainer shot him an annoyed look. "What!?"

"So is there anything cool inside?" Mizuko asked, jumping up in excitement and curiousity.

Landon's annoyance dissipated as he turned his attention to his excited crocodile Pokemon. "I mean, I guess the pillar is kind of cool to see, but there isn't too much. We could only explore the first floor since the upper floors are inhabited by training monks and wild Pokemon, so it was too dangerous…"

"Oh," Mizuko said, a little sadden. He looked down for a moment, but then shot right back up and gave Landon a big grin. "But Landon! You're a trainer now! You have us Pokemon!"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Landon chanted back excitedly. "And that means I'm allowed to explore the upper floors!"

Sain shook his head and softly said, "And you just realized this now?"

But Sain's remark was covered by Bron's cheering: "Explore! Battle! Get stronger!"

"Okay then! It's decided," Landon affirmed, smacking his fist down on his open palm. "We're going to check out the upper floors of Sprout Tower!"

Mizuko and Bron cheered in approval, but Sain had one little concern. "Are you sure we should be doing this now? After all, it's getting dark."

Landon looked up at the darkening sky. The sun had almost set completely, and numerous stars were speckling the sky. The boy merely shrugged. "Eh, I think we're fine. I mean, it's still early evening, and I'm nowhere near tired! We'll just check out this place and then rest at the Pokemon Center. Sound good?"

"I suppose."

"Great! Let's be on our way!"

* * *

In regards to eating Pokemon: the way I see it, these worlds are inhabited by Pokemon and no other animals. Therefore, if people are eating meat, they must be eating Pokemon. I know it's a topic we tend to avoid (at least, I tend to avoid), but I feel for this story, it has to be this way. Perhaps in a later chapter, I'll go into more detail about eating Pokemon. But for now, I hope no one was terribly offended.


	6. Chapter 5: Bellsprout Tower

_Chapter 5: Bellsprout Tower_

"Wow… look at that pillar go!" Mizuko gawked at swaying pillar in the middle of tower.

After entering Sprout Tower, the Pokemon became very curious and amazed at the large pillar in the center, amused at its movements. Mizuko had begun to even mimic the pillar. Bron stared intently at the giant pillar, trying to understand its shaking. Sain, perched on Landon's shoulder, looked on with great interest. Landon, however, seemed very bored.

"Guys, come on," the trainer sounded a bit annoyed, rolling his eyes. "It's just a pillar. Can we go upstairs?"

"I would really like to know why this pillar exists in this tower," Sain remarked, choosing to ignore Landon's impatience.

"Ah, interested in the flexible pillar in Sprout Tower?" a woman, looking in her late 20s, with long black hair walked up to the team.

Landon internally groaned. 'Great, now we're going to be down here even longer…'

Looking up at the pillar, the woman continued. "Legend has it that this pillar was once a 100-foot Bellsprout, hence why this pagoda is known as 'Bellsprout Tower'. Bellsprouts are very highly regarded by the monks."

"Whoa! 100-foot?" Mizuko jumped in shock. "That's awesome!"

Sain stroked his beak. "Sounds a bit far-fetched if you ask me…"

"Who cares? Let's just go…" Landon muttered under his breath.

"Nowadays," the woman went on, "the flexibility of the pillar protects the tower from earthquakes. It also symbolizes the battles and training from the monks upstairs."

"Ah, so that's the purpose," Sain remarked. "That's very useful, preventing earthquakes."

Landon gave a heavy sigh. "But do you hear that? Battles! Upstairs! So we should be going!"

The woman merely shook her head. 'Just another young trainer anxious to train and no interest in history. Well, at least he's not as rude as the boy before.' She said, "Well, sounds like someone's eager. Even though monks are normally peaceful, they do see the value and discipline in training their Bellsprout. If you want to train with them, just go up the stairs over there on the left."

Landon looked excitedly at the direction the woman was pointing and started making his way. "All right! Come on, team! We got monks to battle!"

However, Mizuko and Bron appeared a bit reluctant.

"I don't know Landon," Mizuko stated, his voice a bit worried. "She said that the monks train Bellsprout, and Bellsprout are grass Pokemon…"

Bron nodded in agreement. "Bron weak against grass. Grass cut right through."

"Hmmm, good point," Landon agreed. But then he smirked and turned his head to Sain. "Guess you will be the star of this tower, Sain."

"I will do my best, dear trainer," Sain said, giving a slight bow.

Landon chuckled and then took out Mizuko's and Bron's pokeballs. "Okay, you two. You can return for now. I'm sure Sain will do fine on his own."

After returning his two other Pokemon, Landon continued towards the stairs, feeling very eager to take on and win more battles.

"Sain! Finish that Bellsprout off with one more Peck!"

"Ah! My Bellsprout has fallen…"

"Yes!" Landon jumped up, fist-pumping in celebration. "That was awesome, Sain! Another win!"

"Good work, Bellsprout," The monk said, returning his Pokemon. "We'll obviously have to focus more on Flying Type discipline." The monk turned his attention to Landon. "Excellent battle, young trainer. You're raising your Spearow to be quite the formidable foe."

"I know, right?" the trainer exclaimed. "Sain's just that awesome!"

"Hmmm," the monk slightly narrowed his eyes, taking note of Landon's response. "Well, best of luck to the rest of your journey. Remember: it's not an easy path."

Landon waved his hand at the monk and started to continue his way forward. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

Sain shook his head at Landon's behavior. 'When is that kid going to learn?' After giving a slight bow to the monk, the Spearow caught up with his trainer and flew along side him. "Landon, do you remember what I told you about modesty and not being rude?"

The trainer groaned. 'Oh no, not this again…'

"Landon, I just think that you should-"

"Whoa! What's that!?"

The trainer abruptly cut his Pokemon off as he shouted and pointed forward. There, ahead of them, was an odd purple gas-like substance. What made the substance particularly odd was that there was a darker purple circle in the center of it. Even stranger, the darker purple had eyes and a mouth. Landon grinned widely.

"That's a Gastly, Sain!" he whispered to his Spearow, excitement in his voice.

"Ah, a new Pokemon?" Sain asked, very intrigued.

"Yup! I always thought it would be awesome to have a ghost Pokemon. And now, here's our chance! Think you got this, Sain?"

Sain gave a firm nod. "No problem, trainer!"

The Spearow turned sharply in front of him, staring at the ghost Pokemon ahead of him. Readying himself, Sain flexed out his beak and prepared his wings. Finally, he flew at high speed towards the Gastly and struck the other Pokemon, piercing the Gastly's head. However, the attack proved to be a bit too sharp; after receiving the impact, the Gastly quickly evaporated, giving one last cry before disappearing. There were a few moments of silence, as Sain and Landon gaped at the open space where the ghost Pokemon once was. Finally, the shock wore off.

"Sain?"

"Yes Landon?"

"…did you just kill the Gastly?"

"Well, I don't know if I killed it, per say. I mean, he was already dead, being a ghost Pokemon and all…"

"…"

"I'm sorry, Landon. I guess I don't know my own strength. Have been getting stronger…"

"…"

"Well, you get some, you lose some. It's all part of the Pokemon journey, right?"

"…"

"Now, Landon, there's no need to be so glum."

"…"

"I'm sure you'll have another chance to-"

"Sain."

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

After the unfortunate encounter with the Gastly, the duo continued on their way up the tower, battling monks they came into contact with. Their Bellsprout proved to be no match for Sain's swift beak, so it was an easy win each time. And soon enough, the two reached the top floor.

"Finally!" Landon exclaimed, stretching out his arms above his head. "Wonder if we'll get a reward for making it to the third floor?"

"Are physical rewards and winning all you care about?" Sain said, half-joking.

"Hey, give me a break!" Landon retorted, smiling a bit. "I just went up three stories and had to battle a bunch of monks."

"You mean _I_ had to battle a bunch of monks," Sain corrected, smirking.

Before Landon could respond, the duo heard noises deeper in the room: sounds of smashing and Pokemon cries. The trainer knew immediately what was going on. He raced to the source of the sounds (with Sain following), hiding behind the moving pillar so he wouldn't disturb. Peeking from behind the pillar, Landon noticed that he had just missed the final move of the battle. A Bellsprout lay on the ground, defeated and fainted. He was quickly returned to his Pokeball by his trainer, a much older looking monk. The Bellsprout previous opponent, a Chikorita, swung its leaf around and gave a cry for victory.

The Chikorita definitely caught Landon's attention. 'Wait a minute! Could that be…'

Sure enough, the Chikorita was returned to its Pokeball and out stepped its trainer for Landon to see: Damion, the red-headed thief. Landon looked at the boy his age with disgust. 'What's that loser doing here?'

"So I won, as expected," Damion huffed, glaring at the elder monk. "So give me the goods!"

Landon momentarily forgot his disgust and got excited. 'Yes! I will get a reward for making it here!'

The elder monk sighed, shaking his head as he approached the red-haired preteen. "Yes, your Pokemon did best mine. So as promised, you can take this Hidden Machine."

The monk reached into his pocket and produced the small, CD-like device in his hands. Damion made a move to grab it from the monk, but the monk quickly moved his hand behind him, keeping it out of reach from the boy. Damion growled out of anger and annoyance.

"What gives, old man!? I won, so give it up!"

"You and _your Pokemon_ won. Remember, Pokemon aren't tools of war. You should learn to treat your Pokemon with kindness."

"Don't you lecture me! I'll treat my Pokemon however I want to!"

The monk stood still, unphased. He moved the HM from behind his back and handed it to Damion. "Love is the greatest strength. You won't get stronger if you don't love."

"Hmmph!" Damion angrily snatched away the machine and started stomping his way out. As he passed the pillar, Landon called out to him, "Still using that stolen Chikorita, you pathetic thief?"

Damion immediately stopped and whipped around to glare at Landon. "You!? What's a weakling like you doing here?"

"I'm the weakling!?" Landon shouted back, clenching his fists. "Looks who's talking! Only a wimp would go and steal their first Pokemon!"

"Hmmph! This Chikorita has proved to be strong, so that's all that matters! You don't know anything and neither does that stupid elder!"

"Don't you speak ill of monks!" Sain commanded sharply, now getting angry at the rude, young boy.

"Oh please!" Damion exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Now, a wussy, little bird is going to lecture me? Know your place, you stupid Pokemon!"

"Hey! Don't you dare talk that way about my Pokemon!" Landon retorted, defending Sain. "Did you forget? I was the one to beat YOU! Do you want to go again?"

"Please, I don't have time to waste for the likes of you!" Damion said, turning away. "Not for you, not for weak Pokemon, and not for monks. Where does he get at, telling me to be loving to Pokemon. I care not for weak pokemon! Strong Pokemon are all that matters!"

With that, Damion took off, running to the stairs and running down. Landon growled in frustration and called out, "No! Come back here and face me, you coward!"

The 11-year-old trainer was about to take after Damion, but the elder called out to him before he ran off: "Leave him be. He has much to learn, but it will come in due time."

Landon took a few moments staring out at the stairs. Sain flew up to the boy and perched himself on Landon's shoulder again. He whispered into the boy's ear, "Come now. The elder is right. He's not worth it now."

With that, Landon finally relaxed himself and turned to walk towards the elder. As he approached the older man, he stated to Sain, "I just can't believe Damion. Calling me a weakling when I was the one to beat him! Not to mention, he's a bloody thief! And he insulted you, Sain!"

"I know, I know," Sain patted the back of his trainer's neck as they reached the elder. "He's rude and arrogant, but don't let it get to you; they're just words."

The elder gave a firm nod. "I sensed much distress and anger within that young boy. I don't know what could be troubling him, but if he never over comes it…" The elder trailed off, looking a bit lost in thought.

After a few moments, Landon blinked in confusion and waved his hand in front of the old man. "Ummm… hello?"

"What?" the elder snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to Landon. "Ah, yes. My apologies. So, introductions?"

The elder took a moment to bow to Landon and then continued. "I am Elder Li, the leader of the monks here in Bellsprout Tower. Congratulations for reaching the top floor."

"Okay, I'm Landon, from New Bark Town," Landon gave a small bow to the older man. "And thanks! It was pretty easy with my awesome Spearow here!" The trainer acknowledged Sain on his shoulder.

"Hmmm," Elder Li stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, allow me to judge the bond between you and your Spearow myself. Shall we battle?"

"Huh?" Landon raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But aren't your Pokemon still tired from your battle with Damion?"

"No worries; I have other Pokemon which are ready for battle. So, Landon of New Bark Town, will you grant me the permission to check the ties between you and your Pokemon?"

The young trainer smirked. "Let's do it! Go, Sain!"

Sain shot forth from Landon's shoulder and hovered above the ground in front of his trainer. The Spearow spread open his wings and gave out a cry.

"So it begins," the elder softly stated, reaching into his sleeve and bringing out a Pokeball. Throwing the ball forward, he commanded, "Come forth! Bellsprout!"

The Pokeball opened and energy shot out towards the ground. The energy soon converted to take the shape and form of a vine creature with a yellow bell-like head.

Landon gave a smirk. "Okay, Sain! Same strategy per usual! Charge right at that plant!"

Without a second thought, the Spearow rushed right towards the Bellsprout, aiming his beak right at the Bellsprout's head. Before the Bellsprout realized it, Sain had jabbed his sharp beak right on top of his bell-like head. The Bellsprout instantly fell back, becoming dazed from such a hard jab.

"Awesome job, Sain!" Landon cheered on his Pokemon. "Now, do it again!"

As Sain prepared himself for another quick Peck Attack, the elder tried to command his Pokemon to stay focused and hit the Spearow with Vine Whip. However, the Bellsprout still felt pretty dazed and had trouble staying on his roots. And even when attempting to shoot out some Vine Whips, Sain proved way too fast to touch. The Spearow attacked the Bellsprout again and again, until finally, the flower Pokemon could take no more and fainted.

"Yes! Another Bellsprout down! Great work as always, Sain!" Landon congratulated his Pokemon, Sain giving him a grin.

"Good, good," the elder muttered, returning his fallen Bellsprout. "I understand how simple it must have been to reach the top, with that Spearow of yours. But let's see how your Spearow fares against this. Go forth!"

Elder Li threw another Pokeball, opening and revealing yet another Bellsprout. Landon laughed. "Oh please! Another Bellsprout? This will be a clinch!"

"Be warned, young trainer! Type advantage doesn't mean instant victory."

"Whatever! Let's start this!" Landon turned his attention back to Sain. "Just like before, Sain! Let's try to end this even quicker."

Sain gave a firm nod and began another quick Peck attack. He flew at top speed right towards the Bellsprout. Sain mentally prepared himself for the impact of the bell-like head against his beak. However, to his misfortune, Sain's beak happened to come in contact not with the Bellsprout's head but rather the wooden floor.

Landon watched on, absolutely shocked. Sain had crashed into the spot on the floor where Bellsprout had been, and the Bellsprout was nowhere to be seen. But that Bellsprout had been there on the floor just a moment ago, hadn't it? Now, it had seemingly vanished right before Sain launched his attack. However, Landon soon discovered where the flower Pokemon had gone when vines flew from behind a Bellsprout statue, smacking Sain's back.

"What!?" the trainer shouted, taking a step back in shock. "No way! The other Bellsprouts barely even touched Sain! Now this one landed a direct attack!?"

"As I stated before," Li spoke up, "type advantage does not mean instant victory. You'll find that this Bellsprout may be a little quicker than what you've experienced. In addition, perhaps it would have served you well to develop another battle strategy."

Landon's face turned a bit red but he shrugged it off and looked towards his Pokemon. "Come on, Sain! Get up! We can't lose here!"

Upon hearing his trainer, Sain pushed himself back up. He felt a sharp pain on his back, but he tried to ignore it as he flapped his wings to fly up. While doing so, the Bellsprout slithered back, preparing another Vine Whip.

Landon warned Sain, "Look out! The Bellsprout's gonna attack!"

The Spearow looked ahead and noticed the Bellsprout preparing another attack. He tried to fly up high to avoid it, but the Bellsprout proved too fast. The Vine Whip hit the underside of Sain's belly, causing the little bird Pokemon to cry out again.

"Ah man," Landon said, looking up worriedly at Sain. The bird Pokemon managed to stay flying, but he was still hurting. That Bellsprout was a lot faster than the others they had battled. It didn't seem like Sain would be able to out-speed this Pokemon, especially not in the condition in was in now. Desperately looking around for another idea, Landon noticed all the dust that was collecting on the floor. A lightbulb quickly turned on for the trainer, and he called back to his Pokemon, "Sain! I have a crazy idea, but I think it might work! Concentrate on the dust on the ground, gathering it by flapping your wings!"

Sain indeed think this was a crazy idea, but put his faith in his trainer. He began to focus on his new task. The elder watched on in slight confusion and amusement.

"Hmmm, very interesting indeed," Li thought out loud, wondering what Landon could be planning. "Still, this is a battle, and I indeed to do my best to win. Bellsprout! Prepare another Vine Whip!"

"Sain! Avoid it, but don't stop gathering!"

On Landon's command, Sain kept flapping his wings to pick up and dust and tilted to avoid the Vine Whip, noticing it using his peripheral vision. Still, the Vine Whip proved too fast and scrapped the Spearow's lower back. Despite the pain, Sain pushed through.

Landon desperately cheered on his Pokemon, hating to see him hurt. "Come on, Sain! I know it hurts, but you can do it!"

"That Spearow of yours is fairly tough," the elder monk remarked. "But I think that it's time to step this up a notch. Bellsprout! Use Growth!"

The Bellsprout closed its eyes and stood very still. Soon enough, a faint, glowing green energy surrounded the little grass Pokemon. Landon felt his heart drop. 'Crap! If that Bellsprout gets super powerful from Growth, Sain may not be able to withstand that power! And Mizuko and Bron won't do well against a grass type! Got to end this quickly!'

"Sain!" Landon called back to his Pokemon. "Keep going, man! Just a few more minutes!"

Sain continued to gather the dust, producing a growing dust cloud in front of him. Meanwhile, the glow around the Bellsprout kept getting brighter and brighter, definitely growing more powerful by the moment. The trainer grinded his teeth, getting more and more anxious. Finally, when it seemed as though Sain had gathered enough dust to Landon's liking, the Bellsprout stopped glowing. His Growth power-up move had completed.

"Excellent Bellsprout," Elder Li commended. "Now, prepare to show this flying type the true potential of a grass move!"

The Bellsprout prepared himself to give one more powerful Vine Whip at the hurting Spearow. As he unleashed his compelling vines, Landon blurted out, "Quick, Sain! Now! Blast that dust cloud at the Bellsprout!"

Following that command, Sain hurled the gathered dust right at the Bellsprout. The sudden dusty cloud caused the Bellsprout to lose focus and drop his vines before they could even come in reach of Sain. The dust catching in his eyes, the Bellsprout tried to rub them out with his leaf arms. And the Spearow saw no better opportunity than this.

Sucking up his pain, Sain rushed forward, landing a hard Peak Attack right on the Bellsprout's head. The Bellsprout stumbled back, becoming even more confused with the dust in his eyes and the attack on his head. But Sain wasted no time. Running on pure adrenaline, he landed Peak Attack after Peak Attack, not allowing any time for Bellsprout to recover. Landon grinned with great excitement while the elder looked on at the scene, dumbfounded. Finally, Sain landed one final Peck Attack, sending the Bellsprout flying back into one of the Bellsprout statues. The grass Pokemon then fell to the ground, passed out.

"Ah, excellent!" Elder Li, reaching for Bellsprout's pokeball to return his fainted Pokemon. "It appears you've bested my prize Bellsprout! Admirable work!"

"YES!" Landon jumped up in excitement. "You did it, Sain! You're the best!"

"Yes…" Sain weakly said, dropping back to the ground and breathing heavily.

"Sain?" Landon quickly hurried over to his bird Pokemon, concern in his eyes. "Sain, are you okay?"

"Those last moves… took a lot… out of me…." Sain admitted, breathing heavy between each phrase. "I feel… really exhausted… and worn out… and hurt…"

"That's okay, man," Landon softly stated, his eyes full of pride. "You were awesome. You deserve a good rest."

Landon returned the worn-out Sain back to his Pokeball, vowing to go to the Pokemon Center once exiting the tower. The trainer got up and approached the elder monk. "So can I get my reward now?"

"Yes, yes, of course. You truly having a strong bond with your Spearow, so you deserve it," Li stated reaching into his pocket and taking out a small CD-like device. "This is the Hidden Machine known as Flash."

"Oh!" Landon exclaimed, a bit surprised. "So that's where it is! Guess it didn't take long to get after all!"

"Hmmm? You've been on the lookout for this item?"

"Well, I wanted to check out Dark Cave," the 11-year-old began to explain, "but I didn't want to wait until I found Flash. So I just… yeah…"

The elder looked blankly at Landon for a few seconds before quickly shrugging it off. "Regardless, teach Flash to a Pokemon, and you'll be able to light up even the darkest of areas."

"All right!" Landon snatched the TM from Li and turned to leave. "Well then, I'll be on my way! I have a Pokemon to heal and a gym battle to rest up for!"

Before Landon could make a step towards the stairs, the elder called back to him. "Aren't you forgetting something, dear boy?"

Landon spun right back around, looking a bit confused. "…what?"

Elder Li looked back at Landon firmly. "A certain statement? A polite phrase?"

"…I'm not following."

"Because I just gave you something thing? Something that you seem to appreciate?"

"Yeah? And?"

The elder sighed, shaking his head. "Do the words 'thank you' ring a bell?"

"Oh." Landon quickly gave a slight bow to the monk. "Thanks for giving me this HM. And thanks for the awesome battle, sir."

"Hmmm, you're quite welcome," Li said back, still looking firmly at Landon. "But in the future, it would do you well to remember your manners and be respectful."

"Yeah, yeah," Landon said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, and turned back around to make his way towards the stairs.

The elder continued to speak to him. "Best of luck at your gym battle. Remember: Gym Leaders are more powerful then your typical trainer."

Landon softly sighed and boredly said, "I know. I'll be prepared."

"And remember: A Pokemon journey isn't easy. There's a lot to discover, but also a lot to lose. Cherish every relationship, for it could end at any time."

Landon stopped a moment, a bit taken back. After a few seconds, he continued walking, now having reached the stairs. Without looking back, he raised his hand as to wave goodbye to the monk and walked back down to the second floor.

Li watched the boy as he disappeared down the stairs, and then gave a heavy sigh.

'That boy has much promise, but he has a long way to go. I can only hope he'll mature soon…'

* * *

Struggled a bit writing the battle scene, so hopefully it didn't suck too much. Also, the encounter with the Gastly was based on my own attempt during my Nuzlocke Challenge. Sad that I missed out on getting it. But Sain was stronger than I expected.


End file.
